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on MENA - Middle East and North Africa |
| By: | International Monetary Fund |
| Abstract: | The Gulf Cooperation Council countries have successfully weathered recent turbulence in the Middle East, and their economic prospects remain favorable. Nonhydrocarbon activity has been strong amid reform implementation, although overall growth has decelerated due to cuts in oil production. The growth outlook is positive, as the envisaged easing of oil production cuts and natural gas expansion spur the recovery in the hydrocarbon sector, while the nonhydrocarbon economy continues to expand. External buffers remain comfortable despite current account balances having narrowed. Risks around the outlook are broadly balanced in the near term. More challenging medium-term risks, especially in the context of geoeconomic fragmentation and climate change, call for action on policy priorities to continue to strengthen the private sector and to diversify the economy. |
| Keywords: | economic diversification; financial stability; fiscal sustainability; GCC; productivity improvements; regional integration; GCC country; policy priority; B. GCC; GCC well; GCC public sector balance sheet; Labor markets; Fiscal rules; Total factor productivity; Global; Middle East; Middle East and Central Asia |
| Date: | 2024–12–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfpps:2024/066 |
| By: | Javier Flórez Mendoza; Robert Stehrer |
| Abstract: | Abstract: This policy brief discusses recent macroeconomic developments in the North African economies of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Sudan as well as recent patterns of trade with the European Union (EU) and Austria, pointing to opportunities as well as challenges. Against a backdrop of supply-chain disruptions, geopolitical fragmentation, and rising vulnerabilities associated with technology dominance, critical raw materials, and energy security, North Africa has acquired renewed strategic relevance for European economic policy. The region combines geographic proximity to the EU along with sizeable markets, a young population, substantial renewable-energy potential, strategic transport corridors, and growing capabilities in sectors linked to the green and digital transitions. For the EU and Austria, deeper economic engagement with North Africa can support the diversification of suppliers, reduce excessive dependencies, and strengthen supply-chain resilience. The potential extends beyond the traditional exchange of fuels and raw materials to environmental technologies and renewable energy. A forward-looking European strategy should therefore combine trade with investment in infrastructure, human capital, renewable-energy systems, and partnerships. Initiatives such as the EU’s Global Gateway, Austria’s Africa Strategy, and the proposed Hydrogen South Corridor can help to connect North African production and energy potential more closely with European markets while supporting regional integration. |
| Keywords: | international trade, Austrian Foreign Trade, exports |
| Date: | 2026–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wsr:pbrief:y:2026:m:10:i:75 |
| By: | Christopher J. Waller |
| Date: | 2026–10–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgsq:103900 |
| By: | Asik Erpek, Gunes Arkadas; Hari, Siddharth; Ozen, Efsan Nas; Raju, Dhushyanth |
| Abstract: | Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping labor markets globally, less through immediate, economywide displacement than through a gradual and uneven reconfiguration of what workers do and how they do it. For Türkiye, the central question is not whether AI will matter, but whether the country is positioned to capture its productivity dividends while managing its distributional risks. This question is especially important because Türkiye combines substantial occupational exposure to AI with still-limited firm adoption, persistent skills mismatches, large gaps in labor market inclusion, and a constrained domestic AI talent base. The near-term policy challenge is therefore one of uneven adjustment. Some exposed workers may be well placed to benefit from AI-enabled productivity gains, while others face greater substitution risk or may remain excluded from the productivity gains that AI can generate. This note synthesizes global evidence with quantitative and qualitative findings for Türkiye and translates them into a targeted policy agenda. |
| Date: | 2026–07–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:hdnspu:212940 |